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What is needed is/are

Forums: Grammar, English
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tanguatlay
 
Reply Fri 17 Oct, 2008 09:51 pm
What is needed is a pair of scissors?
What is needed are scissors?
What is needed is a pen.
What is needed are pens.

Are all the sentences correct?

Many thanks.
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Type: Question • Score: 0 • Views: 3,909 • Replies: 9
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MontereyJack
 
  1  
Reply Fri 17 Oct, 2008 10:01 pm
I'd say so.
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OmSigDAVID
 
  0  
Reply Fri 17 Oct, 2008 10:13 pm
@tanguatlay,
Quote:

What is needed is a pair of scissors?
What is needed are scissors?
What is needed is a pen. What are needed are pens.
What is needed are pens.

Are all the sentences correct?

What is needed is a pair of scissors? Yes: one pair
What is needed are scissors? Yes; viewed as 2 scissors
What is needed is a pen. Yes; perfect
What is needed are pens. What are needed are pens.





David
JTT
 
  2  
Reply Fri 17 Oct, 2008 10:18 pm
@OmSigDAVID,
Quote:

What is needed are scissors? Yes; viewed as 2 scissors

What is needed are pens. What are needed are pens.


Your logic is contradictory, David.
MontereyJack
 
  1  
Reply Fri 17 Oct, 2008 10:31 pm
You could conceivably say "What are needed are pens", I suppose, but I think a normal speaker of English (which of course leaves David out) is much more likely to use "What is needed...". "What" is generally treated as singular, probably because it's of a singular form (i.e. no "s" on the end)--you cannot say "Whats are needed are pens".
OmSigDAVID
 
  1  
Reply Fri 17 Oct, 2008 10:51 pm
@MontereyJack,
His question is not as to popularity of grammatical screw-ups.
His question is what is correct.
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OmSigDAVID
 
  0  
Reply Fri 17 Oct, 2008 11:01 pm
@JTT,
Quote:

Quote:

What is needed are scissors? Yes; viewed as 2 scissors

What is needed are pens. What are needed are pens.




Quote:

Your logic is contradictory, David.


Your statement is false, JTT.
The correct verb of existence for one object is " IS "
The correct verb of existence for multiple objects is "ARE"





David
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MontereyJack
 
  1  
Reply Sat 18 Oct, 2008 03:17 am
Really? IS you sure about that, David?
tanguatlay
 
  1  
Reply Sat 18 Oct, 2008 05:49 am
@MontereyJack,
Hi, fellow members, I'm quite confucious by the replies.
0 Replies
 
OmSigDAVID
 
  1  
Reply Sat 18 Oct, 2008 09:46 am
@MontereyJack,
Quote:

Really? IS you sure about that, David?

Yeah, u (implicitly) raise an interesting point about
use of the plural pronoun. I understand that "thee"
was once used to indicate a single individual.
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